Super Powers
by ficdirectory
Summary: Episode Tag. Pre 7x16. Morgan teaches Jack about 'earmuffs.' Written for freakingdork's request in the CM Prompt Meme and for crimeland's Manifest Challenge.


Derek never thought he'd be the one answering a call just as Valentine's with all the singles was getting its groove on. It was just like JJ back in the day, fielding work calls at the most inconvenient times. He hit the ignore button on his cell and focused his attention towards Prentiss and Reid, who were singing a terrible, off-key version of the country hit _Don't You Wanna Stay _by Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean. Derek had never heard it before, but he was damn sure it wasn't supposed to sound like _that. _He cringed every time they held out that long note. It sounded like a cat was being thrown out a window. But if he told Prentiss that, he was pretty sure, she would kick his ass into next week.

His phone buzzed again and Derek glared at the screen, seeing Hotch's name and scowling.

"What?" he asked, picking it up abruptly. "I'm trying to listen to Reid and Prentiss make fools of themselves."

"They told me you were the designated driver," Hotch offered, by way of explanation.

"They're lying their asses off," Derek laughed. "Reid's stone sober. Prentiss on the other hand…"

"Listen, the thing is, Jessica's got plans tonight. So do JJ and Garcia, whom I would normally go to for this sort of thing… I haven't trusted Reid with Jack for years…ever since he taught Jack that by listening carefully to the different tones, he could figure out the combination to my gun safe. Jack was three."

Derek was stunned silent. That didn't seem like something Reid would do. Now, he wasn't about to complain about being called now, given that JJ had just held her own against a crazy unsub and had bruises and more to prove it. She didn't need to be watching kids. Well, other than her own.

"It wasn't purposeful," Hotch hurried to explain. "In fact, the only thing Reid actually taught him was the value of listening carefully in order to gain clues about his environment. Jack figured the rest out for himself. Needless to say, though, I don't want to take any chances. Would you mind watching Jack for a few hours tonight? I'd like to take Beth out."

Derek closed his eyes. He'd been looking forward to this. He'd been looking forward to just hanging out and forgetting the stress of their days But the fact was, Hotch never asked for things. The fact that he was coming to Derek at all was something. "Sure," he answered. "Just give me a few minutes. I'll be over."

* * *

Half an hour later, Derek was reclined on Hotch's leather couch, watching kids' shows and trying to keep up with Jack's explanation of who was who. It was hard to believe Jack was six already. Harder to believe that Derek had spent such a small amount of time with him. He heard stories from Hotch - sometimes from Garcia or JJ - about a funny thing Jack had said or done. But Derek rarely spent one-on-one time with him.

"Derek… Hey. _Derek_…" Jack called, his face inches from Derek's. "You aren't even listening," Jack pouted. He was pretty cute, dressed in Spongebob pajamas and even when he was breathing popcorn breath on everything.

"Sorry, kid," he apologized. "So, what do you know?" Derek asked, putting one of his own father's favorite phrases to good use. He expected to hear his own stock responses as a child - "I don't know" or "nothing" - but Jack wasn't an ordinary kid.

He leaned close to Derek's ear and whispered. "If you pay attention, I'll tell you a secret."

"Okay," Derek nodded, amused. "I'm all ears."

"I have super-powers," Jack insisted in a low voice. "I'm telling you this because Daddy said you did undercover work one time, so you can keep a secret really good," Jack said, rocking back on his knees.

"When did your dad tell you I did undercover work?" Derek asked, skeptical.

"Well," Jack said matter-of-fact, "he didn't actually tell me about it…I just listened with my super hearing and I heard him say it on the phone once…"

"When?"

Jack shrugged. "When I was little."

"Oh. You didn't happen to find out about your super hearing from Reid, did you, kid?" Derek asked. He was hoping the hell not.

"Nope. He doesn't know anything about super powers, silly…" Jack laughed, showing the gaps in his mouth from missing teeth.

Derek couldn't help it. He smiled, too. "So, where, then? Where'd you get 'em, if not from Reid?"

Immediately, Jack sobered. For the first time, he broke eye contact, staring at the TV screen and its crazy cartoon characters. "From when I was four. From when George got my mom," he answered, sounding far too adult for his near-seven years. "Ever since then, I can just hear too good…" Jack admitted.

Swallowing, Derek tried to keep his emotions in check. This was the one thing he and Jack had in common. His dad. Jack's mom. Right in front of the both of them. Derek wondered what super power witnessing his father's death had given him. The answer was there for him almost immediately: Invisibility.

In the months and years after he lost his dad, Derek had mastered the art of staying below the radar. It was something he was good at. Something he depended on. Carl had been the only one who could see him, and Derek had been sure it was because Carl was all-powerful.

Instead of talking to Jack about this, though, Derek just reclined on the couch and stared at the screen. All of a sudden, he desperately wanted to know every single character and what they did. He wanted to focus on anything else that wasn't Jack's unfortunately good hearing or Derek's ability to hide.

"What's that guy's name?" he asked, and this time, when Jack responded, Derek listened.

* * *

Sooner than Derek thought possible, it was 9 PM and time for Jack to get some shut-eye. Derek crawled on top of the blankets and read him a few chapters of the book he was reading. What was the fun of having a babysitter, if they couldn't bend the rules a little?

When they were done, and Jack was tucked in, Derek said good night, and prepared to leave. A small hand grabbed his own and held on.

"What do I do?" Jack asked hoarsely.

"For what?" Derek wondered, sitting back on the bed, and waiting for him to speak again.

"I can't ask Daddy because he gets sad. But what do I do if I… If I hear things I don't want to?" Jack asked, looking at Derek seriously.

Derek took a minute to think. _This _must have been what his mama meant when she said that kids don't come with a manual. On instinct, he drew Jack close, and chose something lighthearted, but effective to answer his question. "You know what earmuffs are, kid?"

"Yeah. They keep your ears warm," Jack answered, in the know-it-all tone of a six-year-old.

"Well…whenever you hear something you don't want to… Just cover up your ears like you got a giant pair of earmuffs…"

"Wouldn't ear plugs work better?" Jack wondered.

"Maybe, but they're kind of difficult to get in… Whereas earmuffs are soft and don't take much effort to put on…" Derek offered. "You're in control, kid. If you don't wanna hear something. Or if your dad or any of your grownup friends know there's somethin' you shouldn't hear, we'll say 'earmuffs' and you just cover your ears."

"I couldn't do that before…" he admitted quietly. "When I was hiding…you know…'cause Daddy said to hide? My hands were too full. I had to have a flashlight because I was scared of the dark. But it took up all my hands so I couldn't do earmuffs. So I had to listen…and it was scary…"

"I'm sure it was. But you know what? Chances are, you're not gonna be in a situation like that again. If you've got somethin' in your hand, you'll be able to drop it. Or use it," Derek suggested.

"Did everyone lose someone?" Jack asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Garcia lost her mommy and daddy. JJ lost her big sister. My daddy lost my mommy and I did, too. So, did _everyone_ lose someone?" Jack insisted.

"You're not alone, kid," Derek told him.

"Who did _you_ lose?" Jack asked, so open and honest, that Derek couldn't help but answer.

"I lost my father. When I was nine. I got a super power, too," Derek told him sadly.

"Did your mom teach you about earmuffs to make it go away?" Jack asked, yawning and snuggling against Derek's side.

"No. Your daddy let me know that he could see me. _That _made it go away," Derek said, remembering Chicago, and how Hotch had known before anyone else what he was hiding. Derek pulled the blankets over both of them, not caring that the sun hadn't set yet.

That wasn't important.

This was.

_The End._


End file.
